Ballet shoe with elastic rim

ABSTRACT

A ballet shoe has elastic in place of a conventional drawstring. The ballet shoe of the present invention eliminates the need for a drawstring, making it easier for children to put on their own shoe as well as making it safer, as untied shoes (or those that become untied) can be a tripping hazard. Without a drawstring, the ballet shoes provide a neat appearance while still fitting on the user&#39;s foot and minimize the need for shoe repair due to broken drawstrings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ballet shoes and, more particularly, toa ballet shoe with no drawstring, having elastic where the drawstringnormally is positioned.

Ballet shoes with a drawstring always come untied or hang out of theballet shoe. Dancers can trip over the drawstrings. When a dancer hasthe drawstrings untied or not tucked into the shoe properly, this causesunsightly feet during a performance. Moreover, drawstrings can slip outof the shoe and are typically not replaceable, requiring the dancer topurchase or obtain a new set of ballet shoes.

As can be seen, there is a need for an improved ballet shoe that doesnot require a drawstring yet can still fit properly to the dancer'sfeet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises a loopformed along a rim of a shoe body; and an elastic material disposed inthe loop.

In another aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises asuede sole; a leather shoe body attached to the suede sole; a loopformed from the leather shoe body about a rim of the shoe body; and anelastic band disposed inside the loop or not inside a loop but attachedto the leather by stitching, the elastic band operable to resilientclose an opening formed by rim of the ballet shoe, wherein no drawstringis used to secure the ballet shoe to a user's foot.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises aloop formed along a rim of a shoe body; an elastic band disposed in theloop or attached to the shoe; and at least one elastic fabric disposedin a cut-away region of the rim of the shoe body.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the ballet shoe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ballet shoe taken along line 3-3of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of a ballet shoe according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a ballet shoehaving elastic in place of a conventional drawstring. The ballet shoe ofthe present invention eliminates the need for a drawstring, making iteasier for children to put on their own shoe as well as making it safer,as untied shoes (or those that become untied) can be a tripping hazard.Without a drawstring, the ballet shoes provide a neat appearance whilestill fitting on the user's foot and minimize the need for shoe repairdue to broken drawstrings.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, a ballet shoe 10 can be designed inthe general shape of a shoe, typically with a suede sole 30 and aleather body 12. A lining 14, such as a cotton lining, can be disposedon the inside of the shoe 10.

A loop 18 can be made along a rim 16 of the ballet shoe 10, as shown inFIG. 3. An elastic band 20 can be disposed in the loop 18, allowing therim 16 to resiliently open to a larger diameter and to elasticallyretain the ballet shoe on a dancer's foot. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the elastic band 20 can be sewn directly about therim 16 of the ballet shoe 10 to achieve the same effect. The elasticband 20 can be made from an elastic material between about ¼ inch andabout ½ inch in width, for example. As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, theelastic band 20 can extend in the loop 18 about the entire periphery ofthe rim 16.

In some embodiments, the elastic band 20 can be included only in aportion of the loop 18, for example, only on the sides of the balletshoe 10, where the ends of the elastic band 20 can be stitched orotherwise secured on each end within the loop 18.

In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, a ballet shoe 22 can includean elastic fabric 28 formed in a cutout portion of the rim 26 of theshoe 22. Typically the cutout portion of the rim 26 can be a triangularportion, with the apex of the triangle pointing toward the sole of theshoe 22. The elastic fabric 28 can be placed on one or both sides of theshoe 22. In some embodiments, multiple elastic fabrics 28 can beincorporated into a single shoe 22. Typically, the elastic fabric 28 issewn into the rim 26 near the middle rim of the shoe, either interior,exterior, or both.

Similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the shoe 22 of FIG. 4 caninclude an elastic band 20 running in a loop 18 about the rim 26 of theshoe 22. Depending on the number of elastic fabrics 28 incorporated intothe shoe 22, one or more elastic bands 20 can be used inside the loop18.

While the above discussion describes one type of ballet shoe having anelastic band about its rim, the design of the present invention can beused in various ballet shoe patterns or even in other shoe applicationswhere attachment to the foot can be achieved through an elastic banddisposed about the rim of the shoe.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ballet shoe comprising: a shoe body; a rimformed about an opening of the shoe body; and an elastic materialdisposed about the rim.
 2. The ballet shoe of claim 1, furthercomprising a loop formed along the rim.
 3. The ballet shoe of claim 2,wherein the elastic material is disposed in the loop.
 4. The ballet shoeof claim 1, wherein the elastic material is an elastic band.
 5. Theballet shoe of claim 1, further comprising at least one elastic fabricdisposed in a cut-away region of the rim of the shoe body.
 6. The balletshoe of claim 1, wherein no drawstring is used to secure the ballet shoeto a user's foot.
 7. A ballet shoe comprising: a suede sole; a leathershoe body attached to the suede sole; a rim formed about an opening ofthe shoe body; and an elastic band disposed about the rim, the elasticband operable to resilient close an opening formed by rim of the balletshoe, wherein no drawstring is used to secure the ballet shoe to auser's foot.
 8. The ballet shoe of claim 7, further comprising a loopformed along the rim.
 9. The ballet shoe of claim 8, wherein the elasticmaterial is disposed in the loop.
 10. The ballet shoe of claim 7,further comprising at least one elastic fabric disposed in a cut-awayregion of the rim of the shoe body.
 11. A ballet shoe comprising: a rimprovided about an opening of a shoe body; an elastic band disposed inabout the rim; and at least one elastic fabric disposed in a cut-awayregion of the rim of the shoe body.
 12. The ballet shoe of claim 11,further comprising a loop formed along the rim.
 13. The ballet shoe ofclaim 12, wherein the elastic material is disposed in the loop.
 14. Theballet shoe of claim 11, wherein no drawstring is used to secure theballet shoe to a user's foot.
 15. The ballet shoe of claim 11, furthercomprising a suede sole and wherein the shoe body is a leather shoe bodyattached to the suede sole.